Our Blog
The Mashpi Amagusa Reserve Saved By Donations
The Basantes family now owns 62-hectares of their precious Mashpi Amagusa Reserve thanks to kind donors.
Our Favorite Face Masks for Safe Travel
Have you ever wondered which face mask provides the best protection for international travel? You are not alone. As a person who is immunocompromised, I am afraid of flying during the Covid-19 pandemic. I took the plunge and flew across the country for our youngest...
The Mashpi Amagusa Reserve Saved By Donations
The Basantes family now owns 62-hectares of their precious Mashpi Amagusa Reserve thanks to kind donors.
Our Favorite Face Masks for Safe Travel
Have you ever wondered which face mask provides the best protection for international travel? You are not alone. As a person who is immunocompromised, I am afraid of flying during the Covid-19 pandemic. I took the plunge and flew across the country for our youngest...
King of the Condors Gives Back to the Andes
I’m so excited to share King of the Condors, a bilingual folktale for children of all ages—including adults like me who love stories that blend imaginative storytelling with breathtaking artwork. Ximena Cardoso Montero, a longtime reader of Not Your Average American...
Alausí Welcomes Back the Nariz del Diablo Tourist Train
Update May 1, 2025 - Currently, Nariz del Diablo has not opened. The latest news comes from La Prenza and it looks like they will be testing the route in May 2025 with the idea of opening for business as soon as possible. We'll do our best to bring you prompt updates!...
Máchica: The Next Andean Superfood?
On the road back from Quilotoa to Quito, there’s a turn that doesn’t show up on most tourist maps, the Ruta de la Máchica, a fifth-generation family-run mill and cultural project led by Freddy Molina, a man whose last name comes from the Spanish word for "miller."...
Tucson, Arizona: A City of Gastronomy Rooted in History
We respectfully acknowledge that Tucson, Arizona sits on the ancestral lands of the Tohono O’odham Nation and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. These communities have cared for and sustained this region for countless generations and continue to shape its cultural and ecological...
What Nemonte Nenquimo Taught Me About Storytelling
Nemonte Nenquimo’s powerful message of Indigenous resistance resonates strongly in We Will Be Jaguars, a book co-written with her husband, Mitch Anderson. This is especially true in the final chapters, where we learn about the creation of the Ceibo Alliance, an...
Our Favorite Car Camping Gear
After a long winter here in the Pacific Northwest, we're finally thinking about Spring, which means camping! Last year, we broke our long camping drought with a nice 10-day car trip with overnights in Oregon, Nevada, and Utah on the way to Telluride, Colorado to visit...
From Ecuador to Canada, Let’s Help Laura Fly!
On my last visit to the Mashpi Amagusa Reserve in Ecuador, I had the great fortune of birding with a local guide named Laura Gualco. It’s not often we find young women leading birding tours in Ecuador. We were fortunate on this day because Laura isn’t your average...
How to Apply for the Tourist Visa Extension
Applying for your tourist visa extension in Ecuador need not be complicated. Since we went through this process in 2019, the Ecuadorian government has updated a lot of information, including adding an online system (updated March 20, 2025) for those who can read...